Shooting brumbies most humane option after rehoming falls short

A lack of public interest in rehoming brumbies is forcing Parks Victoria to look at what experts regard as the more humane option of ground shooting.

Rehoming and training brumbies, such as this one under Clay Baird’s tutelage, takes time and dedication that most people can’t muster.

PARKS Victoria wants to abandon roping as a method of capturing brumbies in the Alps, opting instead to shoot or trap and rehome horses where possible.

After consulting the public, veterinarians and animal welfare experts, Parks Victoria released a 2021 draft Feral Horse Action Plan today, which states its preferred options are to:

GROUND shoot free ranging horses;

AERIAL shooting (in exceptional circumstances, or if other methods cannot meet objectives);

TRAP and rehome (where appropriate recipients are secured); and

EXCLUDE horses by fencing off sensitive alpine areas.

The plan found roping horses posed too much risk to staff and contractors and that fertility control was not a viable option.

As a consequence Parks Victoria reported it wanted to lift the number of brumbies it trapped and rehomed, but admits it faces an uphill battle, raising questions about whether it will shift to shooting.

“To date, there has been limited response to repeated and direct public calls for interest in this program,” the draft plan states.

“Between December 2019 and September 2020, there were three rounds of public advertisement seeking expressions of interest to rehome feral horses.”

While Parks Victoria received more than 300 enquiries, just ten EOIs were submitted from suitable applicants to rehome between 38 and 51 feral horses per year.

“With an estimated 5000 feral horses in the Victorian Alps, this demonstrates that capture and rehoming alone will not be enough to significantly reduce feral horse populations in the eastern Alps,” the draft plan concluded.

During its consultation Parks Victoria reported veterinary “experts consider ground shooting as the most humane, safe and effective method available and an acceptable technique for the

removal of individual, or small groups of horses from a location, when performed by skilled operators who hold the appropriate licenses and accreditation”.

A Parks Victoria spokeswoman said: “The high numbers of feral horses in the Alpine areas continue to cause damage to the unique Australian alps.”

A survey of brumby abundance across the Australian Alps found numbers had doubled in five years, from 4316 in 2014 to 8513 in 2019.

“Increased knowledge and experience are allowing us to build the best approach to managing feral horse populations and reduce the threats they bring to our special high country native wildlife and habitats.

“As a result, we have revised our management practices, bringing in additional methods to help reduce feral horse numbers, while aiming to maximise the numbers captured and rehomed.

“We are releasing the draft plan to provide people with the opportunity to review our updated approach and give us honest and constructive feedback.”

The community has until April 23 to provide feedback on the draft plan.